Pacific NW/AK/BC Whistler Blackcomb : The lines look insane :-|

[SIMMS7400]

Hi All -

My wife and I try to avoid 'EPIC' mountains like the plague, but she has a conference in Whistler in 2 weeks so obviously I'm tagging along to do some skiing. I realize Coastal BC hasn't had a great winter until recently (40"+ the last few days). Naturally, anytime I am headed on a trip, my days are spent looking at conditions, scoping out the trail maps and refreshing the live Webcams.

HOLY CRAP, I'm seeing people starting to line up a 5:30/6:00 AM !!!! By the time they open, the lift lines look like a ride in Disney World with the amount of people. I recognize the thirst first powder contributes to the lines as well, but man o man, it almost doesn't seem worth getting out there for open, instead, plan to let the initial crowds disperse.

What has your experience been with Whistler? We're going Saturday-Saturday and most of our skiing will be during the week so I'm hopeful crowds are lighter then. I would think once you get out of the villages and up the mountain, queues are much less as everyone disperses.

We're staying at the Fairmont so I can be flexible with when I head out/come back in due it being ski-in/ski-out. But damn, the lines look crazy.

 

[Jilly]

I haven't been out since the gathering in 2017. But I hear that things are worst for crowds.

Weekdays will be better.

 

[David Chaus]

@noncrazycanuck to the white courtesy phone

 

[Tricia]

I haven't been to WB since 2017 (much like Jilly) but my experience in general with a place that big, the crowd will spread out so let them go then you go out and find your lines!

 

[fatbob]

Lines shift fast though good idea to sit out the morning rush hour. Can be ski on after 1 pm although doesn't help that they shut some stuff insanely early ( may be extended hours now it's March.

 

[Mike King]

There are many reasons to take a ski lesson. One of them is to skip the line…

 

[Castle Dave]

I hear he Fairmont has a great bar.

 

[freeskier1961]

weekdays if possible, creekside starts pretty ominous but seems to dissipate reasonably quick.
get up mountain then stay up

 

[noncrazycanuck]

the initial upload waits on powder frenzy days get pretty long. Once the lifts are running they start thinning out quickly.

Yesterday was another powder day, on a Friday, always the busiest day other than weekends.
We just uploaded from Creekside a bit later to avoid the opening cluster and walked on to lift.
Then skied to other chairs where they weren't any lines.
Don't think we stood in line for a chair or gondola more than 5 minutes all day but we don't stand in line waiting for chairs to open.

Getting first tracks waiting for chair to open might be worth the wait to some, but I prefer to ski, plenty of untracked areas here that don't require lining up for.

Before the Alpine lifts open, mid hill on both both mountains can be busy. As the alpine lifts start opening mid hill lines get shorter.
Big snow days or high wind days do create challenges.
First time visitors should always watch the sign boards or use the app for current lift updates and line status.
Don't waste your time skiing to a lift that may not be open yet or skiing into the largest line on a hill.

Uploading the gondola adjacent the Fairmont or lapping it mid hill up is usually walk on by mid morning.

This was an exceptional week. We've been waiting for this all year.
Best snow of the year by far and it's brought out the crowds.

Monday was brown in the valley, has been covered by about a meter since. Snow quality is good to valley. Outstanding week.

Only negative was the drive home last night sucked. Snowing heavily and the roads were sheets of ice. The usual 1:45 trip home took 4 hr.
A couple of guys in rear wheel drive cars with out proper tires created most of the chaos. RCMP was dealing with them as we finally squeezed by.

 

[SIMMS7400]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Looks like a another huge dump of snow late this week/next week and then dries out, maybe eve getting seasonably warm. Which, may be perfect for my trip on the 16th to keep crowds low. We shall see!!